Guest Blog by Rebecca, who spoke in Church today

Sometimes we are asked to do hard things. We know they are right, but that does not always mean that they are easy, like packing everything up and journeying into the wilderness, or in my case California. However we must go forward with faith to do what the lord asks of us.

For, as it states in Hebrews 11 verse 6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is”. So the first step of going forward with faith is to understand what faith is.

 On page 116 of Preach my Gospel it tells us that “When you have faith in Christ, you believe in him as the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father in the Flesh. You accept Him as your Savior and Redeemer and follow His teachings. You believe that your sins can be forgiven through his atonement. Faith in Him means that you trust him and are confident that he loves you” it then goes on to say that “When you have faith in Jesus Christ, you trust the Lord enough to follow His commandments –even when you do not completely understand the reasons for them.”

For example I planned on writing my talk Wednesday since school got out early, but instead I felt that I should go to zone conference where I heard an amazing story that Elder R told. He was on exchanges with Elder L in the San Fernando Valley, and they went to go contact a referral that they felt good about, but when they got to his house he wasn’t home. Even though he was not home the Elders felt that they should leave him a pamphlet and were trying to figure out how to leave him one in his fence so he would see it.

While they were doing that a lady came up to them and started to talk to them about the Jesus Christ and the restoration, and while they were talking to her another lady came up to them and said “I want to learn about God”, and then someone pulled up next to them and started to talk to them from their car—it was a woman who had not been to Church since she was a little girl and wanted to come back. Now not only is she re-learning the gospel but the missionaries are teaching four new investigators because of her.  None of this would have happened if these two Elders had not gone forward with faith and did as they were prompted to do.  And I would not have been able to share this story if I had not gone to zone conference as I was prompted to do.

 It is not always so obvious with immediate results, but when we go forward with faith trusting that the Spirit will guide us we can accomplish what the lord asks of us. Every little thing helps, whether it be explaining to a friend why you can’t go with them to the football game on Sunday, or telling them that you don’t date until you’re sixteen. These things may not seem to make a difference and would be easy to go around, all you would have to do is say ‘I already have plans, or I’m not allowed, or something along those lines. But if you have the faith to say ‘I can’t go because I going to church on Sunday, and wouldn’t miss it for the world, or I’m a Mormon and we don’t date until we are sixteen’. These few words are easy to say when you are telling yourself that the next time someone asks you, you’ll say them, but at the time it is often difficult to muster up the few words that will plant the seed in their mind. But if you have the faith and courage to say these things it will make people ask more and more questions.

Brothers and Sisters I want you to know that if we have the faith to do what Heavenly father wants even if it seems impossible, he will help and guide us along the way. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.